Is the global climate target feasible in Africa using bioenergy pathway? Evidence from a local perspective in Ghana

Abstract

Bioenergy has been essentialised as an innovation in global climate mitigation efforts. Though the technicalities might be sound, the controversies in terms of uncertainties, land availability, and the trustworthiness of the technology cannot be disregarded. Here I argue that bioenergy and the different variants have little prospect of meeting Africa's climate mitigation targets as they are not grounded within the development priorities at the local level, especially within the framework of sustainable development goals and broader participation from below. Therefore, I highlight the need for the decentralisation of global climate decision-making, transdisciplinary sustainability assessments, and a search for alternatives, as they can offer an empirical basis for a better science-policy interface at all levels.